Halloween Vocabulary

Halloween Vocabulary

Here is a list of English words and phrases we use to talk about Halloween by Sue Lyon-Jones.

All Hallows Eve– another name for Halloween.

Apparition– a transparent, ghostly figure.

Bag – a container for candy (US English) or sweets (British English) given out at Halloween to children who dress up in costumes and go “trick or treating” around their local neighbourhood.

Bat– a small flying mammal, with leathery wings. according to legend, vampires are said to be able to turn into bats.

Black cat – black cats are said to bring good luck in parts of the UK and Ireland. According to folklore, black cats are said to have supernatural powers, and witches often keep them as pets, or familiars.

Blood – red liquid running through veins of people and warm blooded creatures.

Bloodcurdling – a chilling, scary sound. Often used to describe screams.

Bogeyman – a fictional scary person, used to frighten children who misbehave.

Bones – hard pieces of a person’s or animal’s skeleton.

Boo – a word which is sometimes used to frighten people, when playing tricks.

Broom or broomstick – a type of brush with a long wooden handle, said to be used by witches to fly, according to legend.

Candy – (US English) sweet treats given to children at Halloween.

Cape – a long, voluminous outer garment, or cloak. Often worn by vampires.

Cauldron – a cooking pot, used by witches to brew spells.

Cemetery – a place where dead people are buried (British English)

Cloak – an outer garment, or cape.

Coffin – a container for a dead body. Generally made of wood and lined with silk, with a hinged lid.

Costume – a make-believe outfit, worn for fun at Halloween.

Creepy – unsettling, or scary.

Devil – an evil spirit.

Disguise – a costume, often worn for fun at Halloween parties by adults and children alike. At Halloween, partygoers sometimes dress up as mummies, witches, werewolves or vampires!

Evil – malicious, bad, ill intentioned.

Fall – the season that comes after summer and before winter (American English). Known as “autumn” in the UK.

Familiar – a pet animal kept by witches, which is said to have the ability to change into human shape, according to folklore.

Fangs – sharp, pointy upper front teeth, designed for piercing flesh.

Fiend – a monster or demon.

Frighten – (verb) to scare.

Ghost – undead spirit that haunts houses.

Ghoul – a fictional flesh eating monster that is said to rob graves, according to folklore.

Goblin – a small, ugly, mischevious creature, with a reputation for causing trouble.

Gory – bloody, macabre.

Grave – a burial space for a coffin in a cemetery.

Graveyard – a place where dead people are buried (American English)

Grim Reaper – the name traditionally used to symbolise Death. In British English folklore, Death is usually depicted as a skeleton in a long black cloak, carrying a scythe.

Grisly – horrid, gruesome, bloody.

Gruesome – horrible, bloody, macabre.

Haunted – a place frequented by ghosts or other spirits of the dead.

Horror – shock or fright. Horror films are very popular, and are often shown on television at Halloween.

Howl – a high pitched noise made by dogs and wolves.

Jack O’ Lantern – a lantern carved from a pumpkin, with a candle inside.

Mausoleum – an ornate, stone cemetery building, built to house the coffins of rich and famous people, or members of the same family.

Monster – a fearful, horrid, imaginary creature.

Mummy – a dead person, who was buried wrapped in bandages.

Nightmare – a scary, bad dream.

Phantom – a ghostly apparition.

Prank – a trick, or practical joke.

Pumpkin – an orange vegetable, which is often carved and hollowed out to make Halloween lanterns.

Scare – (verb) to frighten a person or animal.

Scary – something which is frightening.

Skull – the bony part of the head, attached to a person’s skeleton.

Scythe – a long, sharp, curved blade.

Shadow – a dark shape cast by an object positioned between a surface and a source of light, such as the moon.

Skeleton – the hard inner frame of person’s or animal’s body, formed from bones that join together.

Spell – a magic rite, cast by witches.

Spider – an insect with eight legs that spins webs.

Spirits – the ghosts of dead people.

Spooky – mildly scary, though often in a fun way.

Sweets – sugary treats given to children at Halloween (British English).

Tomb – a building where dead people are buried.

Tombstone – a large, upright stone placed at the head of a grave. Gravestones often have information about the person who is buried in the grave carved into them, such as their date of birth, when they died, and other information about their life.

Trick – a practical joke, or other act of deception.

Treat – a fun, unexpected surprise, designed to please someone.

Trick or treat – a popular Halloween custom in the UK and USA, where children dress up in costumes and visit people’s houses in search of sweets (British English) or candy (US English).

Vampire – an undead creature who sleeps in a coffin by day, and ventures out at night to bite people and drink their blood.

Wand – a stick used for casting magic spells.

Web – spiders spin these to catch flies.

Warlock – a male witch.

Werewolf – a person who turns into a wolf whenever there is a full moon. According to folklore, if a person is bitten by a werewolf, then they become a werewolf, too!

Wicca – an ancient religion, practised by witches.

Witch – a woman believed to have magical powers.

Witchcraft – magic, practised by witches.

Wraith – a Scottish word that means ghost.

Zombie – an undead, flesh eating creature.

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